Sola Fide or Sola Electio?

“…in the Swiss town of Zurich, a more radical social as well as religious Reformation was influenced by Zwingli, who disagreed with Luther on a number of points, including interpretation of the words ‘this is my body’ in the Eucharist, leading to the Swiss notion of communion as a symbolic memorial service in contrast to the more literal Lutheran conception. In Geneva, the Frenchman John Calvin developed an altogether more logical, rational system of theology. Calvinism constituted a ‘second Reformation’ to complete what was perceived as only a partially effected reformation under the first generation of reformers. While there were different theological currents with Calvinism, it has chiefly come to be seen as distinct from Lutheranism with respect to the key notion of predestination. In Calvin’s views, not only could one not achieve salvation by good works (as in the Catholic view); one could also not achieve it by faith (the Lutheran view). Rather, the omnipotent God had predestined every individual to be either one of the elect (the saved) or among the damned; there was nothing mere mortals could to influence their predetermined destiny.”

 

[an excerpt from Mary Fulbrook’s “A Concise History of Germany” – on the Reformation happenings in Germany and its environs in the 16^th century; italics mine]

So where does all this talk of sola fide from Calvinistic circles come from?  If they truly subscribe to the idea of double predestination then instead of sola fide, is it more accurate to say that Calvinists subscribe to sola electio?

Former Adventures In The Evangelical Wilderness

I can certainly identify with the following sentiments someone made on a recent Facebook thread. I do not miss my days in the so-called evangelical wilderness.

“For those of us who come from the make-it-up-as-you-go land of Evangelicalism, Missionalism, Seeker-Drivenism, we lived the innovative phrases of "loving on people", "prayer warriors,” "listening to God with intentionality", "stepping out in faith", "obeying God in the last thing He gave you to do, so he'll count you worthy to give you your next assignment." We fled that land for one built on the solid, unshifting rock of Christ; and Him crucified for the ungodly.  We fled that land for unchanging and definable language expressed in the confessions, historic liturgy, and Word and Sacrament.”

Letetia Marie - as quoted from FB (slightly modified)

Ritual and the Divine Service

“Rituals do not reflect reality, they enact reality. The Divine Service does not simply reflect what Christ is like, it enacts us in His flesh as His Word is broken open through preaching that reveals Christ to us as He was revealed to the Emmaus disciples in the breaking of the bread. To break open God’s Word is to see Christ at its center, for as Jesus Himself tells the Emmaus disciples concerning the testimony of the Old Testament: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26). God’s Word is first broken open for us in the Liturgy of the Word so that we might be prepared in the Holy Supper to eat His body broken in death and His blood poured out for the remission of sins. In the liturgy of Word and Sacrament you leave behind the world and all its cultural baggage, and only then do you begin to perceive through your rational mind and your senses that Christ is present bodily to give you the gifts of heaven… At the center of the Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper is the cross, where we feast on the body and blood of our host. Think of the ambiguity of this act of participating in a banquet of joy in which the food is the One who sacrificed Himself in a humiliating, shameful, and scandalous death. It is hard to comprehend that through Christ’s bodily presence, heaven itself is present with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven when we eat His body and drink His blood. What is it that we perceive here through our eyes, our ears, our nose, our mouths? Joy at our salvation at the heavenly feast? Horror that the violence of Calvary is in, with, and under what we consume into our bodies? Sadness that participating with us in Christ are all the saints who are no longer with us, including our closest relatives and friends? These are thoughts that ritual can evoke, and they are too big to be analyzed, discussed, categorized, and pared down to size.”



(‘Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divine Service’ – Arthur A. Just, Jr., pages 38-39)

Doctrine and Practice

Quote of the Day

"Doctrine and practice, especially liturgical practice, while distinct, cannot really be divided. Doctrine is largely hidden, like the studs that form the walls of your house. But how those walls are finished has as much to do with the structure of that house as those hidden two by fours."

Pr. William Cwirla

The Meaning of the Word, 'Is'

When Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, He said 'This is My body.'  Apparently, Christians believe most everything else Christ said and did from their reading of the Bible, except for that one thing.  Sure, God created the heavens and the earth with His word.  His Word states that Christ was resurrected.  Christ promised He will return to receive His bride, His Church.  Christ's Word raised Lazarus from the grave.  Christ's Word healed others that He came across.  Yeah... those things, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have done.  We believe those things, because God has proclaimed those things in the Bible.  The very book that Christians claim to be God-breathed and is inerrant.

Then why is it that the meaning of words change when it comes to this:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.  (Luke 22:14-23 ESV - bold italics mine)

Apparently, Christ didn't mean that, and what He really said was 'This is not My body, but just a metaphor, a mere symbol!'

Why does Christ all of sudden go symbolic or metaphoric?  He doesn't.  Words have meaning.  We, as readers, don't change the meanings of words because they need to fit our rational minds.  'Is' does mean 'is.'  If we truly trust God and His Word, and that we trust Him that He will do a good work, for He is just and merciful and holy; then why not trust His entire counsel.  Trust His Word in totality.  He is a trustworthy God, and He is faithful and true.

What 'orthodox' Christians believe...

What are some of the things 'orthodox' Christians believe?


Here's just a small list:

• God created the heavens and the earth.
• God sent a flood, destroyed the earth, but saved 8 persons and 2 of each kind of animal.
• He sent various plagues upon Egypt in order to deliver His people from bondage.
• He parted the Red Sea.
• Elijah was carried into heaven.
• Daniel was saved from the lions' den.
• Jesus was born of the virgin, Mary.
• Jesus healed the blind and the lame.
• Jesus healed a leper.
• Jesus turned water into wine.
• Jesus walked on the water.
• Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
• Jesus died, was buried, and then raised.

This is just a small list of the miraculous things God has done and that orthodox Christians believe and confess.

After mankind was deceived into thinking he could be like God and started trusting in himself rather than God, God then intervened to save man from his sin and rebellion and lack of faith in God.  All of these miracles listed and the many, many others found in the Bible point this out - that He did intervene with His creation.  The Bible is God's story of His creation, our rebellion, and His redemption of man through Christ's death and resurrection.


Sin, death, and the devil have held us captive, but God has worked throughout history to reveal Himself and His faithfulness, and to deliver us from sin, death, and the devil.  He has done so as His only begotten Son became incarnate, lived blamelessly, revealed to us the Father, sent us the Holy Spirit, and bled and died for the sins of the world, and was raised from the grave for His name's sake.


He is good.  He is powerful.  He is just.  He is merciful.  Based on what He has done and it being revealed to us, His Word is faithful and true.


How has God revealed Himself?  He is known through His creation, He has revealed Himself in the Son, and He has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture.  He and His Word are faithful and true.  He spoke- the heavens and the earth were created.  He spoke- He delivered His people from Egypt.  He spoke- Lazarus was raised from the dead.  He spoke- lame people walked, the blind began to see.  Nothing symbolic, right?  He spoke.  Results followed.  He is faithful and true.


When Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, what did He say?

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.  (Luke 22:14-20 ESV)

And Paul writes to the Corinthians: 

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

(1 Corinthians 10:14-17 ESV - italics mine)

Why do I write all of this?  It is good news!  We don't have to try to hear God's whispering in our hearts.  We don't have to get ourselves in some sort of mystical, meditative state to try to hear His voice.  He has spoken most assuredly in the Scriptures.  Christ is faithful and true.  His Word is faithful and true.


It cannot be stated any better than Luther has:

It is the Word, I say, that makes this a sacrament and distinguishes it from ordinary bread and wine, so that it is called and truly is Christ’s body and blood. For it is said, “Accedat verbum ad elementum et fit sacramentum,” that is, “When the Word is joined to the external element, it becomes a sacrament.” This saying of St. Augustine is so appropriate and well put that he could hardly have said anything better. The Word must make the element a sacrament; otherwise, it remains an ordinary element. ... It is true, indeed, that if you take the Word away from the elements or view them apart from the Word, you have nothing but ordinary bread and wine. But if the words remain, as is right and necessary, then by virtue of them the elements are truly the body and blood of Christ. For as Christ’s lips speak and say, so it is; he cannot lie or deceive. (Large Catechism V:10-11,14 [Martin Luther], The Book of Concord, edited by Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000], p. 468) -bold italics mine.

When participating in His supper the next time, and the pastor speaks Christ's words- 'Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you.  This do in remembrance of Me.  Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me- rest assured Christ's words are faithful and true.  We receive His good gift, guarantee, and pledge of His salvation.  He has poured out His precious blood, and He was broken for our salvation.  We receive these good gifts when we hear His Word faithfully proclaimed, and when we receive His promise in His Supper.




---
Taken from Luther's Small Catechism:


What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.

Where is this written?

The holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul, write thus:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.

After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Take, drink ye all of it. This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it,in remembrance of Me.

What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?

That is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?

It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, that does them, but the words which stand here, namely: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins. Which words are, beside the bodily eating and drinking, as the chief thing in the Sacrament; and he that believes these words has what they say and express, namely, the forgiveness of sins.

Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily?

Fasting and bodily preparation is, indeed, a fine outward training; but he is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.

But he that does not believe these words, or doubts, is unworthy and unfit; for the words For you require altogether believing hearts.

The Tree of Life With Ev'ry Good

A beautiful new hymn that was introduced to me by my wife.  It was sung during the distribution of the Lord's Supper last week.  (Unfortunately I missed going to the Divine Service last week).  The hymn is written by Pr. Stephen Starke.  A beautiful hymn of justification and Christ's work on the cross...




The tree of life with ev'ry good
In Eden's holy orchard stood,
And of its fruit so pure and sweet
God let the man and woman eat.
Yet in this garden also grew
Another tree, of which they knew,
Its lovely limbs with fruit adorned
Against whose eating God had warned.

The stillness of that sacred grove
Was broken as the serpent strove
With tempting voice to Evil beguile
And Adam too by sin defile.
O day of sadness when the breath
Of fear and sadness, doubt and death,
Its awful poison first displayed
Within the world, so newly made.

What mercy God showed to our race,
A plan of rescue by His grace
In sending One from woman's seed,
The One to meet our greatest need -
For on a tree uplifted high
His only Son for sin would die,
Would drink the cup of scorn and dread
To crush the ancient serpent's head.

Now from that tree of Jesus' shame
Flows life eternal in His name:
For all who trust and will believe
Salvation's living fruit receive.
And of that fruit, so pure and sweet,
The Lord invites the world to eat,
To find within this cross of wood
The tree of life with ev'ry good. (LSB 561)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.   (Revelation 22:1-2)

The Lord's Supper - 'Into My Remembrance'

This comes a couple of weeks too late, so I apologize.  However, I thought this to be a really good sermon my pastor, Pr. Kevin Martin from Our Savior Lutheran Church, delivered on Maundy Thursday a couple of weeks ago.  A wonderful sermon regarding the Lord's Supper that I wanted to pass along.

Sermon from Maundy Thursday 2011

"Into My Remembrance"

⁷ Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. ⁸ And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”
⁹ So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”
¹⁰ And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. ¹¹ Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹² Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”
¹³ So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover  ¹⁴ When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve^[a] apostles with Him. ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
¹⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for I say to you,^[b] I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.    Luke 22: 7-20 (NKJV)

To what end do we celebrate the Lord's Supper? I suppose it seems an obvious question. We do it so often, every Sunday some of us, that many of us take it for granted that everyone knows why we come to the table, what end we have in mind.

But I have found this to be a much more mysterious question. Taking communion to people in a wide variety of circumstances, especially in hospital rooms, nursing homes, to shut-ins, I have opportunity to hear some interesting questions, questions which make me think the purpose for which we come to the Table is wider, more varied, and not as well understood as typical Lutherans might acknowledge.

See, we like to be sure of what we're doing, we Lutherans. Doubt, uncertainty, ambiguity, or multi-valence (especially multi-valence, multiple meanings or purposes!) are things often uncomfortable for us. Luther was famous for his "what does this mean" question all through the catechism. It was a question he pursued all through the Scripture and he found no rest until he found one answer to that question. "I'm not really sure..." or "It could mean this or it could mean that..." are not conclusions you get from Luther very often. No, Luther was searching for the answer and found the answer in Christ Jesus. We are his heirs in this respect I think.
But sometimes perhaps we push this single answer, black or white approach too far? Reading St. Augustine recently, (someone Luther also admired very much), I was struck by a little section near the end of his Confessions that I had somehow neglected in previous readings. Augustine is going through the first chapters of Genesis and trying to figure out what it all means. He comes up with a number of different readings of the creation account, that are not the same; though each could be squared with Scripture, they didn't really agree, though each had their proponents among orthodox Christian thinkers. And when he wonders which reading is right, which is the one true reading, he concludes they all are.

He figures that while Moses probably had one or the other reading in mind when he wrote the book, the Holy Spirit is talented and could have multiple truths to teach through this apparently simple account. So Augustine concluded that there may well be more than one true reading of a given bible text—not because we put multiple meanings there, but because the Holy Spirit put them there for us to find. Part of the joy in reading Scripture, Augustine found, was that you can always discover something new in the old familiar words. God is clever like that, and His gifts inexhaustible...

But back to our question of the purpose of the Lord's Supper: why do we come? What do we seek? What is promised to those who eat and drink the Lord's body and blood? Can we get a simple answer to this simple question? Do we not all understand it already?

Jesus makes it quite plain in His institution of the Supper. He takes bread from the Passover table, blesses it, and divides it to the disciples saying "This is my body..." So we confess that's what it is—bread, which blessed by Christ's powerful word, becomes His very body. How can that be? Don't know, actually, because Jesus didn't explain. But when he told deaf people to hear, blind people to see, lame people to walk, dead people to rise, storms to stop it already, loaves and fish to multiply, they all did as they were told. So if he says this piece of bread is his body, well, I'm happy to believe that bread really is just what Jesus says! (and same with the cup which he pronounces is his blood). "How this can be, we leave to Thee..." as we sing in that old Lutheran communion hymn.

But why would we eat Jesus' body and drink his blood, in this real but supernatural fashion? To what end? In Matthew, he mentions forgiveness of sins, and that's certainly something we all need. But you notice here in Luke he doesn't mention the forgiveness thing. In Luke, he names the Holy Supper's end goal as: do this into the remembrance of me...

So there you have it: we do this into the remembrance of Jesus. There's your simple, black and white one purpose answer and that is always the right answer. But what does this mean? Into the remembrance of Jesus?

And here's where things start to get a little complex, a little multivalent perhaps. First off, we really need to translate the Greek words literally. The preposition that is commonly translated in, as in: do this in remembrance of me, is actually, literally into. It's eiV in the Greek not en and eiV usually means "into" in the sense of entering a space (physical or mental). Does that make a difference? Ah, it could actually...

The oldest and most common answer given by the early church fathers as to what this phrase means is that it is a command to follow Jesus' institution of this supper exactly, doing just as he did, saying and receiving just what he gives faithfully, so as to share in his presence and promises. So, do this into my remembrance means keep in your mind just what Jesus said and did in the Upper Room, and follow his institution. This is the traditional Lutheran reading.

The Reformed of the 16th century didn't like that so much. They said the phrase is a command of Jesus' to use the enactment of the Supper as a way of remembering Jesus, a way of recalling what is the essential point and purpose of Christianity. Like a re-enactment of a great battle makes the point and purpose present to us in a way that nothing else could, so the Lord's Supper is a re-enactment to help us keep Jesus in our minds. A popular 2nd option...

Finally, a few quirky scholars, picky on Greek prepositions, like my old teacher Norman Nagel, take a third way: they point out that if you take the phrase very literally it sounds more like a promise that those who eat and drink Jesus' body and blood will come into his memory, in such a way that he'll never forget us, but will confess us as his friends, indeed as members of his own body, flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone. So do this into my remembrance is not so much our remembering his institution or him, but about Jesus remembering us, forever and always as his own...

Unless you spent time with Normal Nagel or his friends, you've probably never heard the quirky third way of reading the phrase. But it's sort of catchy, isn't it? Fits well with those parables Jesus told of the last day being like a wedding feast, where some people were late, knocked on the door and asked to be let in but the Master says: "Go away, I don't know you!" and they complained "Sure you remember us, you ate lunch with us and taught us!" but the Master says "Truly, I tell you, I never knew you. Depart from me, workers of iniquity..."

If the entrance to the Great Feast depends solely on whether or not Jesus remembers you (the dying request of the good thief, remember!) then a promise of Jesus that he remembers all who eat his body and drink his blood is really, really cool. Eternally and divinely so!

So which is the right way to read this phrase? Is Jesus saying: do this remembering me, do this to remember me, or do this so that I'll remember you? Okay, Lutherans: this is your moment to shine. Drum roll, please; and the answer is (altogether now)... Yes! There's your one, threefold answer! (One/three works well answering another question doesn't it?)

Yes, of course, all three readings make one great answer. But it is the promise that particularly draws me in. And I hope it draws you, as it yields Peace surpassing understanding, that guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.

-Permission granted by Pr. Kevin Martin.